Disarm
by spyder-m
Summary: "Without her usual armour Pyrrha felt, vulnerable. She would stand as herself, completely exposed. Her instincts told her to fight and defend herself, yet she stood unarmed." In a moment of apprehension, Nora offers Pyrrha support. Pyrrha/Nora friendship fic. Arkos references.


A/N: This oneshot was inspired by the Volume 2 trailer; namely the scene involving Pyrrha and Jaune at the dance. I thought it would be interesting to write out an interaction between members of Team JNPR other than Jaune and Pyrrha or Nora and Ren, as that's mainly what we've seen of them so far. Thus this Pyrrha/Nora friendship fic was born. There are still references to Arkos, though.

Anyway, I hope you like it!

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Disarm

"Pyrrrhhhaaa," Nora whined impatiently, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet. "We've been here for almost thirty minutes. What's taking you so long?"

"I'm sorry!" Her team mate's voice called from inside the changing room. "It shouldn't be too much longer."

Nora huffed, slumping back into her seat. Lazing around inside a clothes store wasn't exactly her ideal way of spending their time off. Not fond of sitting still in one place for too long, she could already feel her body growing restless. Still, she'd promised to help Pyrrha. As part of the Vytal festival Beacon was a hosting a dance for all the students of Remnant competing in the tournament. Pyrrha had asked Nora for help with selecting a dress to wear, not feeling that she knew any of the girls of Team RWBY well enough to ask them for a favour. Nora had been somewhat surprised when Pyrrha asked her for help, though thinking about, she had honestly never seen the young woman wearing anything other than her armour, or her school uniform. Did she actually own any other clothes?

"O-okay, I'm ready now," Pyrrha said, her voice stumbling surprisingly. Nora furrowed her brow, taken back by this uncharacteristic slip on Pyrrha's part. Nora coudn't recall a time she'd heard her fumble her words before. Was she nervous or something? Certainly, the young woman was by no means arrogant, yet she normally exuded a calm, regal demeanour; seeming confident in her all that she said and did. What could possibly be the matter?

"Just be honest, okay?"

"Come on Pyrrha, there's no need to shy." She reassured. "We're all friends here!"

Pyrrha bit her lip from the other side of the change room door, her hand resting on the knob, not feeling quite ready to open it just yet. This was new to her. She was a star athlete and warrior, someone who had devoted a signification portion of their life to honing their abilities. She knew was by no means unattractive, but she had never really felt 'pretty' before.

Her hands were calloused from years of wielding weapons, her skin was usually covered in dirt or marred with sweat from a rigorous training session, and her long, red hair was normally kept tied back and out of the way. There had never been a point in her life where she had taken the time to dress up like this. She couldn't even recall a time she'd worn a dress before, let alone attended a dance. For most people around her age this was something perfectly normal, yet it was unfamiliar territory to Pyrrha. She couldn't help but feel apprehensive. She'd never really had an opportunity to break from the mould of a celebrity and to just be herself, like this. Certainly, while she was proud of what she'd achieved, she didn't want it to be all that defined her. It felt as no one actually knew Pyrrha for who she was, outside of winning tournaments or modelling for cereal. She'd never even really had actual, genuine friends until she'd come to Beacon. Most people had had already known her, to some extent, before they even met. A lot of people who had tried to befriend in their past had only done so because of her status. Not like Jaune.

Pyrrha blushed lightly as she thought of her partner. He hadn't known who she was. Miraculously, somehow, he'd been unaware of her academic and athletic records, much like to Weiss' indignation. Perhaps that was why she'd felt so drawn to him. A person who had no pre-conceived notion of what to expect from her, a symbol of the things in life she had struggled to find. The idea that she might be scrutinised by her peers unnerved her. Battling, studying, even thing she had worked at in the past was like second nature to her. But socialising, leading a normal life... These were the things that posed more of a challenge for her.

Yes, the top of her class Sanctum graduate and recording breaking regional tournament winner, Pyrhha Nikos, was nervous. About a dance. A woman who had fearlessly stop up to Ursi and Beowolves. Certainly, fighting in past tournaments had but in those instances Pyrrha felt confident in her ability and she was in her element. Somehow though, this was different. Without her usual armour Pyrrha felt, vulnerable. She would stand as herself, completely exposed. Her instincts told her to fight and defend herself, yet she stood unarmed. It was why she had enlisted the help of her female team mate.

Pyrrha eventually pushed the door to the changing room open before hesitantly stepping out. Nora glanced over to see her, eyes downcast as her hand toyed with the hem of the dress. It was a vibrant red, a colour rivalled only by the sheen of her own hair as it spilt down her lower back. The sleeveless accentuated the toned muscle and smooth skin of her arms. Fabric pooled teasingly around the length of her legs, while the heels she wore added to her already fairly statuesque figure. Her hair remained tied back in its usual ponytail, and was wearing her headpiece, as normal, the familiar features perhaps offering her a degree of comfort. It certainly suited her.

Nora whistled lowly at the sight. "Wow. Looking to catch a certain team leader's eye, are we?" Her tone was playful, as was the grin lighting her face. The affection Pyrrha harboured for her blond partner was not something that had gone unnoticed by Nora, and she couldn't think of a better way to help ease the her friend's apparent tension than with some light teasing.

"I'm sorry?" Pyrrha asked, broken from her stupor by her friend's voice.

"You don't need to apologise for everything, you know." Nora said, fighting the urge to roll her eyes. "Jaune's going to have a hard time resisting you dressed like that."

Pyrrha flushed and opened her mouth as if to protest, before stopping abruptly. Her lips curled into a bashful smile as she glanced up at Nora.

"You really think so?"

"Of course," Nora answered with confidence. "You said it yourself, 'everyone needs a little push from time to time.' Knowing Jaune, if he has feelings for you, he's probably too nervous to act on them. He needs a push. Getting to see you like this, not as a huntress or a team mate, is exactly that."

"Thanks Nora," Pyrrha replied, putting her hand on the other girl's shoulder.

Nora smiled, noticing the usual light had returned to Pyrrha's vibrant eyes. Pyrrha had seemed apprehensive about the dance. Nora wasn't entirely sure what had been bothering her, but she was determined to do all she could to help quell any feelings of doubt she had. Considering the efforts Pyrrha went to to look out for her team mates, it was only fair that they should return the favour.

"Now come on," Nora added, taking Pyrrha's hand and leading towards the shop exit.

Pyrrha stumbled slightly, not being prepared for Nora to start pulling her. Despite being the smaller of the two, Nora was deceptively strong. Pyrrha supposed that made sense, considering the large grenade-launching hammer she regularly wielded. She steadied herself, yet allowed Nora to continue dragging her along, smiling at her friend's childlike excitement.

"This way! There's a cafe that serves all day breakfast. _We can get pancakes_." Nora sung gleefully.

"N-Nora, wait a minute! I still need to pay for this!"


End file.
